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Illuminations: One Light Wonder

Lighting is about finesse, control, and knowing how to use the tools at hand to create beautiful, well-lit images. But what if you have only one light - or maybe no lights? How do you design good-looking images? How can you create three-point lighting with only one light? All you have to do is run around the house, grab a few mirrors, dig in to your lighting kit for some reflectors and you are on your way! In this column, we will look at different ways you can use one or no lights to create beautifully lit scenes using mirrors, reflectors and solid lighting techniques.

There are a couple of things about light you need to remember when trying to create beautiful lighting using one or no lights. They are: 1. Light moves in a straight line and 2. The bigger the light source, the softer the light will appear on screen.

Using the fact that light moves in a straight line is easy. All you need is a reflector or mirror. If you use a smooth surface silver reflector or mirror, you will get an exact duplicate of the light minus a bit of intensity, depending on how far the reflector is from the subject. Keep in mind that the smooth reflector or mirror is reflecting the light and will be quite bright. Treat it just like any other light. Using a silver reflector with a bumpy surface will decrease and soften the light by spreading it out directionally. A pebbled gold reflector will add a soft warm color to the light.

Keeping in mind that the bigger the light, the softer the effect enables you to decide what kinds of light or reflectors you will need. To create a soft-edged light for interviews and single shots of your talent, you will want to use large lights and textured surface reflectors. If you want your lighting to be very dramatic and hard-edged, use a small, intense light or a selection of smooth-surfaced reflectors or mi…